Durham Council Pay Scales 2026/27: Grades and Take-Home
Durham County Council pay grades 2026/27 - salary, hourly rate on its 37-hour week and take-home after tax, NI and LGPS at every spine point.
Grades at a glance
From Salaries, effective 1 April 2026. Each grade covers a span of national spine points; the council decides the span, the NJC decides what each point is worth.
These are 1 April 2026 rates. Durham has published its scale with the 3.3% award for 2026/27 included, so the figures below are what the national spine pays from 1 April 2026 for SCP 3 to 43. SCP 44 to 49 are above the top of the national spine: those are the council's own local points, not NJC spine points.
Durham does not use spine points 10, 13, 16, 18, 21. Those points exist nationally; this council simply does not place any grade on them.
| Grade | Spine points | Salary range | Hourly range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 1 | SCP 3 | £25,614 | £13.28 |
| Grade 2 | SCP 3 to 4 | £25,614 to £26,016 | £13.28 to £13.48 |
| Grade 3 | SCP 4 to 6 | £26,016 to £26,847 | £13.48 to £13.92 |
| Grade 4 | SCP 5 to 8 | £26,427 to £27,709 | £13.70 to £14.36 |
| Grade 5 | SCP 7 to 12 | £27,274 to £29,542 | £14.14 to £15.31 |
| Grade 6 | SCP 11 to 17 | £29,071 to £32,046 | £15.07 to £16.61 |
| Grade 7 | SCP 15 to 22 | £31,015 to £34,811 | £16.08 to £18.04 |
| Grade 8 | SCP 20 to 25 | £33,673 to £37,563 | £17.45 to £19.47 |
| Grade 9 | SCP 24 to 28 | £36,581 to £40,444 | £18.96 to £20.96 |
| Grade 10 | SCP 27 to 31 | £39,481 to £43,149 | £20.46 to £22.37 |
| Grade 11 | SCP 30 to 34 | £42,123 to £46,579 | £21.83 to £24.14 |
| Grade 12 | SCP 33 to 37 | £45,529 to £49,817 | £23.60 to £25.82 |
| Grade 13 | SCP 36 to 40 | £48,738 to £53,051 | £25.26 to £27.50 |
| Grade 14 | SCP 39 to 43 | £51,928 to £56,293 | £26.92 to £29.18 |
| Grade 15 | SCP 42 to 46 | £55,224 to £59,485 | £28.62 to £30.83 |
| Grade 16 | SCP 45 to 49 | £58,420 to £62,682 | £30.28 to £32.49 |
- Durham skips spine points 10, 13, 16, 18 and 21 so that no grade spans more than five usable points.
- SCP 44 to 49 are a local extension above the top of the national spine.
- Grades overlap by design: the top of one grade is inside the next.
Every point, and what it nets
Take-home assumes England, the 2026/27 tax rules, full-time hours and LGPS membership in the main section. The pension band steps up as pay crosses £29,001, £47,301, £59,801 and £84,001, which is why take-home flattens at those points.
| Grade | SCP | Annual | Hourly | LGPS | Take-home | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 1 / Grade 2 | 3 | £25,614 | £13.28 | 5.8% | £20,773 | £1,731 |
| Grade 2 / Grade 3 | 4 | £26,016 | £13.48 | 5.8% | £21,044 | £1,754 |
| Grade 3 / Grade 4 | 5 | £26,427 | £13.70 | 5.8% | £21,321 | £1,777 |
| Grade 3 / Grade 4 | 6 | £26,847 | £13.92 | 5.8% | £21,604 | £1,800 |
| Grade 4 / Grade 5 | 7 | £27,274 | £14.14 | 5.8% | £21,891 | £1,824 |
| Grade 4 / Grade 5 | 8 | £27,709 | £14.36 | 5.8% | £22,184 | £1,849 |
| Grade 5 | 9 | £28,153 | £14.59 | 5.8% | £22,483 | £1,874 |
| Grade 5 / Grade 6 | 11 | £29,071 | £15.07 | 6.5% | £22,939 | £1,912 |
| Grade 5 / Grade 6 | 12 | £29,542 | £15.31 | 6.5% | £23,254 | £1,938 |
| Grade 6 | 14 | £30,515 | £15.82 | 6.5% | £23,904 | £1,992 |
| Grade 6 / Grade 7 | 15 | £31,015 | £16.08 | 6.5% | £24,238 | £2,020 |
| Grade 6 / Grade 7 | 17 | £32,046 | £16.61 | 6.5% | £24,926 | £2,077 |
| Grade 7 | 19 | £33,119 | £17.17 | 6.5% | £25,643 | £2,137 |
| Grade 7 / Grade 8 | 20 | £33,673 | £17.45 | 6.5% | £26,013 | £2,168 |
| Grade 7 / Grade 8 | 22 | £34,811 | £18.04 | 6.5% | £26,773 | £2,231 |
| Grade 8 | 23 | £35,570 | £18.44 | 6.5% | £27,280 | £2,273 |
| Grade 8 / Grade 9 | 24 | £36,581 | £18.96 | 6.5% | £27,956 | £2,330 |
| Grade 8 / Grade 9 | 25 | £37,563 | £19.47 | 6.5% | £28,612 | £2,384 |
| Grade 9 | 26 | £38,510 | £19.96 | 6.5% | £29,244 | £2,437 |
| Grade 9 / Grade 10 | 27 | £39,481 | £20.46 | 6.5% | £29,893 | £2,491 |
| Grade 9 / Grade 10 | 28 | £40,444 | £20.96 | 6.5% | £30,536 | £2,545 |
| Grade 10 | 29 | £41,177 | £21.34 | 6.5% | £31,026 | £2,585 |
| Grade 10 / Grade 11 | 30 | £42,123 | £21.83 | 6.5% | £31,658 | £2,638 |
| Grade 10 / Grade 11 | 31 | £43,149 | £22.37 | 6.5% | £32,343 | £2,695 |
| Grade 11 | 32 | £44,253 | £22.94 | 6.5% | £33,081 | £2,757 |
| Grade 11 / Grade 12 | 33 | £45,529 | £23.60 | 6.5% | £33,933 | £2,828 |
| Grade 11 / Grade 12 | 34 | £46,579 | £24.14 | 6.5% | £34,634 | £2,886 |
| Grade 12 | 35 | £47,665 | £24.71 | 6.8% | £35,245 | £2,937 |
| Grade 12 / Grade 13 | 36 | £48,738 | £25.26 | 6.8% | £35,960 | £2,997 |
| Grade 12 / Grade 13 | 37 | £49,817 | £25.82 | 6.8% | £36,678 | £3,056 |
| Grade 13 | 38 | £50,908 | £26.39 | 6.8% | £37,442 | £3,120 |
| Grade 13 / Grade 14 | 39 | £51,928 | £26.92 | 6.8% | £38,182 | £3,182 |
| Grade 13 / Grade 14 | 40 | £53,051 | £27.50 | 6.8% | £38,997 | £3,250 |
| Grade 14 | 41 | £54,143 | £28.06 | 6.8% | £39,751 | £3,313 |
| Grade 14 / Grade 15 | 42 | £55,224 | £28.62 | 6.8% | £40,334 | £3,361 |
| Grade 14 / Grade 15 | 43 | £56,293 | £29.18 | 6.8% | £40,911 | £3,409 |
| Grade 15 | 44 | £57,354 | £29.73 | 6.8% | £41,483 | £3,457 |
| Grade 15 / Grade 16 | 45 | £58,420 | £30.28 | 6.8% | £42,057 | £3,505 |
| Grade 15 / Grade 16 | 46 | £59,485 | £30.83 | 6.8% | £42,632 | £3,553 |
| Grade 16 | 47 | £60,549 | £31.38 | 8.5% | £42,588 | £3,549 |
| Grade 16 | 48 | £61,614 | £31.94 | 8.5% | £43,151 | £3,596 |
| Grade 16 | 49 | £62,682 | £32.49 | 8.5% | £43,716 | £3,643 |
Basic pay only. Excludes overtime, unsocial hours, market supplements and any local allowance, and assumes no student loan.
How the hourly rate is worked out
The rule comes from the NJC circular: divide the annual salary by 52.143 weeks, which is 365 days divided by 7, then by 37 hours. Councils that use a shorter full-time week publish higher hourly rates for the same annual salary.
Points above SCP 43 (£56,293) are not NJC points. The national spine stops there, and Green Book Part 2 paragraph 5.4 leaves posts paid above the maximum but graded below deputy chief officer to be set locally, then moved by whatever the NJC agrees. Durham runs 6 such points, up to £62,682, which nets about £43,716 a year.
The 2026/27 award
The 2026/27 award settled at 3.3%, backdated to 1 April 2026, and it took five months. The national employers offered it on 24 March 2026 as a full and final offer; Unite, GMB and UNISON all rejected it and the employers declined to reopen negotiations on 9 June 2026. UNISON's industrial action ballot then missed the turnout threshold, and UNISON and GMB both accepted, as GMB's noticeboard recorded on 21 August 2026. Acceptance by two of the three unions is enough for a joint union position; Unite had not announced a final position.
The national spine was uplifted and published on 24 August 2026, and Durham has restated its own scale at 1 April 2026. The salaries above include the award, which is backdated to 1 April 2026.
The full picture, including the spine itself and how the round played out, is on our NJC pay scales page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the lowest pay grade at Durham?
Grade 1 at spine point 3, £25,614 a year from 1 April 2026. On the council's 37-hour week that is £13.28 an hour. Spine point 2 was deleted from the national spine on 1 April 2026; this structure starts at point 3.
Are Durham pay scales the same as other councils?
The money on each spine point is, because the National Joint Council sets it nationally. The grades are not: Durham decides through its own job evaluation which points each grade covers, so the same job title can sit in a different grade at the council next door. Compare spine points, not grade letters.
What is take-home on £25,614 at Durham?
About £20,773 a year, or £1,731 a month, after Income Tax, National Insurance and a 5.8% LGPS contribution. The LGPS is a net pay arrangement, so the contribution reduces the pay you are taxed on but not the pay your National Insurance is charged on.
When do Durham pay scales go up?
Each 1 April, by whatever the National Joint Council agrees. The 2026/27 award settled at 3.3% in August 2026, backdated to 1 April 2026, and Durham has published its scale at 1 April 2026 with the award included, so the figures on this page are the 2026/27 ones.